Payback continues the story of The Sisterhood, a group of women that seek revenge on people that have wronged them (so far it seems to be all men).

In my review of Weekend Warriors, the first book, I mentioned that the suspension of belief for a contemporary was a bit of a stretch in this series. I think it's similar to thinking that a businessman could create things like Batman and go solve crimes without anyone realizing who he really was. While fun, it's not very believable.

The second book throws a ghost into the mix that speaks to two of the women, basically encouraging them to continue seeking revenge on people who have wronged them and escaped traditional justice.

Once again, the person they hunt deserves to have something happen to them. But again, the punishment really turned my stomach. I think these stories would be so much better if instead of a physical revenge, they found a way for the real justice system to get these guys.

In the background you have the added drama of Jack, an attorney that used to be engaged to one of the women, catching on and trying to prove they are doing things. Jack is a good guy, and he gets swept up in the revenge, and it just makes me like the main group of characters even less.

Still, there is something about this series that I can't look away from. Even with the typos, plot contradictions, errors, and awful acts the Sisterhood take part in, I somehow need to keep going to see what's next.

Meet the Sisterhood--seven very different women who found one another in their darkest days and formed an indelible friendship, strong enough to heal their pasts and bring laughter and joy back into their lives. In Myra Rutledge's beautiful, Virginia home, amid hugs and fresh iced tea, shrimp fritters and shell-pink tulips, the friends have gathered to embark on their second mission of sweet revenge for one of their own. Julia Webster's husband, a U.S. Senator, has used his wife's graciousness and elegance to advance his career even as he's abused her trust at every turn and left her dreams for the future in tatters. Now, on the eve of his greatest political victory, he's about to learn a serious lesson in payback. Because the senator crossed the wrong woman. . .and there are six more where she came from. . .

I’m not entirely sure what to think about this one. The setup and introduction to the characters were really good, and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do to “fix” things. They formed the Sisterhood and set out to right the wrongs vigilante style. But they have the help of a woman with a seemingly endless income and an ex-British special ops guy.

As the book progressed, I had to suspend belief more and more. For contemporary fiction, it seemed to border on fantasy with the way the special ops guy and their funding never seemed to let them down. It was just a little too much to take in and think could happen even in the far reaches of the possible.

But, I was still intrigued and kept reading. Then it hit me like a car accident and I just couldn’t look away. These women do things that are just as awful as the people they are supposedly getting revenge on. It was horrible. I’m all for a punishment fitting the crime, but this went way over that line. It was incredibly violent – which really surprised me, and I found slightly disturbing​I think I’ll give the series another chance, but this was not the best series starter by a long shot. I have loved some of Fern Michaels’ other stories (particularly the Christmas ones) and this is nothing like them at all.

The first in an exhilarating new series following a group of extraordinary women who are out to see justice done ... a step at a time. Nikki Quinn is devastated when her best friend Barbara is knocked down and killed by a hit-and-run driver who claims diplomatic immunity. But Nikki has her work and her lover, fellow lawyer Jack Nolan, to keep her going, whereas Barbara's mother, Myra, has nothing. Festering in a sea of recriminations and hatred, unable to gain a sense of perspective, Myra is lost...until one day she switches on the evening news and sees Marie Lewellen, mother of a murder victim, take matters into her own hands and stab her daughter's killer. An idea is born, and within months Myra and Nikki have drawn together a group of women who have one thing in common: they have been failed by the American justice system, they're down but they're not out, and they're ready to find their nemeses and make them pay. First up is Kathryn, a long-distance truck driver who was raped at a road stop by three motorcyclists as her paralysed husband watched, helpless. Banding together, the Sisterhood plot the ultimate revenge -- but with dissension from inside the group and out, there's no saying if the plan will work until the moment of truth arrives.